Writing Comics: A Guide
A Personal Guide based on my experience as an editor for Marvel UK in the 1990s, and including comments from other comic professionals who continiue to pit their wits against that arch-nemesis, the comics editor...
On this page:
• Comic Storytelling Tips that work • What Editors Look for in a Submission • Advice to artists submitting work • Syndication
See also: Live Pitching at Conventions
 |
| 1/10/02:
Just published by A& C Black, Robin Hall's Trade Secrets is an excellent
book about how to become a successful cartoonist or comics artist, featuring
tips from a huge number of professional artists. It also features, with
my permission, my online article on Writing for Comics. You
can buy it from Amazon.co.uk by clicking here |
"Comics is a very versatile medium that's got possibilities
that people have not even begun to touch..."
Alan Moore, interviewed in the fanzine
Zarjaz #3 - the interview ran in #3/#4 and copies are available for £2
plus 70p postage each from Andrew Lewis, 39 Priory Court, Brynoch, Neath SA10
7RZ.
Cheques/Postal
Orders payable to A Lewis
"I take the same approach to writing a comic as writing a script; I flesh it
out panel by panel, page by page, rather than doing a plot and letting the artist
break it down. Not because I don't think the artist can or should, but because
I just don't know how to write it any other way. I need to see it in my head,
shot for shot, or I can't follow or create the narrative."
J. Michael Straczynski on writing comics,
March 2000
Writing comics is not easy. It takes determination,
perseverance and lots of practice, whether you're an aspiring writer or artist.
If you didn't already know it, there are one heck of a lot of people out there
who think they have what it takes as a writer or an artist to make it in the industry.
The fact that 95 per cent of these people haven't got a clue is neither here nor
there. These 95 per cent are the ones who bombard editors both in the UK and the
US with their work, without undertaking the basics that every comics editor wants
to see.
If you want to shine in the unsolicited slush pile your work must be polished,
take on board the current trends in the market and particularly those of the company
you're aiming at. It has to be something the editor wants to see, be they working
on Thomas the Tank Engine
or 2000AD.
And on that subject, be prepared for the inevitable possibility that you're more
likely to get work on a junior title than the dizzying heights of the titles your
regularly read. Many an artist and writer I worked with on Marvel UK titles such
as Death's Head II,
Warheads and
Overkill etc.
learnt their trade writing or drawing The
Real Ghostbusters and Thundercats.
Grant Morrison started
his career by writing Zoids,
among other things. If you're self-employed and still learning, nothing should
be beneath you.
COMIC STORYTELLING TIPS THAT
WORK...
 DAVE GIBBONSArtist on The Watchmen, writer and artist on The Originals " I got involved because I loved comics ever since I could read; in fact, they may have been the reason that I wanted to read! I started by doing fanzine work, then lettering, then drawing and, lately, writing. "I don't think comics are a thing you go into to make money. Some people do okay, a very few do very well and many don't break even. "...As for small press, I guess that depends on the difference between expenses and receipts. I was happy to draw my early fanzine stuff just for the thrill of seeing it in print..." |
1) Write or draw anything. Practice. Read and watch
things that aren't action adventure or comics. There is generally more characterization
in one episode of the British TV soap Coronation
Street than 20 episodes of X-Blobs
from Mingo. As for classic fiction, it's
as good a place to start as any. Novelist Orson Scott Card once wrote: "I
don't know how anyone can be a writer of fiction in any genre without being
deeply immersed in the lives of real people as recorded by historians and
biographers."
That said, if you find a comic and style you like, don't be afraid to
ask yourself "Why?" - What made the characters interesting? What made
the artwork stand out above all the other comics you might have bought
in the last month?. Like books, 90 per cent of comics are rubbish and
like those books, just as unmemorable. But the best drawn, best written
comics are always those that stand the test of time - and keep a writer
or artist in work in a very competitive market place.
2) Self publish if you can afford it.
Good editors like to see published work, even published work in fanzines. I started
my career in comics by publishing my own fanzine. It never made any money and
we only ever produced 200 copies every issue, but several people who started with
work in it have gone on to work in comics, including myself. Dave Jones now works
on Viz and
Nick Miller has drawn for many comics, as well as continuing to draw The
Really Heavy Greatcoat just for the heck of
it. (My co-editor, Matt Bingham, has worked for magazines like FHM
but that's another story).
Many top name comic authors have done nothing but publish their own work, to considerable
success. Dave Sim's Cerberus
is the archetypal example, Eddie Campbell and Alan Moore's From
Hell, Bryan Talbot's Luther
Arkwright or Paul Grist's Jack
Staff or Kane.
There are others, such as the delightful Strangehaven,
but they are sadly still few and far between. Comics are still dominated by the
big publishers such as Marvel, DC and Dark Horse, each with their own very different
attitudes towards storytelling, creator's rights, royalties and the like. These
major companies are where most of the work is and probably your first targets
when it comes to trying to get work.
3) When you get work, be prepared to revise
your astonishingly brilliant storyline or art when the
editor asks you to. The nature of mainstream comics is that a comic is created
by more than one hand -- mainly the writer and artist, but also the editor, editor-in-chief
etc. Be prepared to compromise but learn your own tolerances when it comes to
resisting the 'suggestions' of those above you, especially if you feel the the
suggested changes are wrong and alter the basic essence of the story you're pitching.
If it was good enough to be accepted, it's good enough to sell elsewhere if things
are going horribly wrong for you. And when an editor changes the names of all
your characters without consulting you, I think you have every right to blow a
gasket!
WHAT EDITORS LOOK FOR IN A SUBMISSION
WRITING
1) Before submitting your work, check for spelling
and grammar. Also, revise and polish your submission.
Is it a story you'd want to read featuring your chosen hero? Have you written
a story using characters you're familiar with? Could you edit it to improve the
storytelling? Re-writing is an important part of any creative process, be it comics,
TV, film, radio or novel.
2) Format: There is no particular format for writing plots or scripts but companies my require submissions to be in particular formats. Comics strips scripts do not, for example, need to be double spaced. (For more on this topic, have a look at Chris Bunting's web blog article on the subject, written in July 2005). If you are using a computer to write scripts, many creators prefer the program Final Draft to other word processing programs. Warhammer and TOXIC Writer Stu Taylor advised back in 2005 (via Chris Bunting's site): "It's not particularly cheap, but if you buy it direct from the American website (www.finaldraft.com), you can get it for half the price you'd pay at somewhere like PC World. Once I started using it, I could never go back to just using Microsoft Word."
DEZ SKINN |
4) If pitching to a British title such as 2000AD, send in storylines/six page 'Future Shock' ideas, not multi part epics. These plot lines should be brief never be more than a single side of A4. If you can tell the story or explain a character in a sentence, it really helps. US editors will also want to see self-contained short stories. don't use well-known characters, either ? you may stand a better chance of getting accepted as a new writer if you submit a story featuring a lesser-known character in need of development or revamping.
For anyone struggling to get stuff published in 2000AD, Andrew Ness wrote to mention that there's a dedicated mail list where you can get critiques and (sometimes) helpful hints. To join, just e-mail subscribe-scriptdroids@yahoogroups.com Browsing through the online archive is recommended before posting, just to avoid repetition. Other than that, all welcome.
5) DC Thomson Commando Library
Publishd as 64 page black and white books, Commando war stories centring on armed forces action (stories can come from every era of human history but, generally, modern conflicts) and consist of 135 frames per story. Pitches require a synopsis of about 1000 words in the first instance but successful writer Gordon Wells (writing in the May 2005 issue of Writing Magazine) advises writing a 2500 word synopsis in order to have sufficient material to complet the 135-frame story.
Script format differs from weekly and US titles in that almost every frame includes a lengthy 25-30 word caption to move along the story. Word balloons are limited to two per frame, with at most 25 words per frame.
Research is vital when pitching ideas: there are a huge number of web sites dedicated to retelling real military action. While editing the launch issues of RAF Magazine for Titan I compiled some links to RAF sites which may give you a jumping off point to other resources -- click here for my RAF links page. My resource page of historical sites is by no means exhaustive, but may also be of interest: click here for my History links. The military books or history section of your local library or a trip to your local museum may also provide story ideas.
DC Thomson buys all rights to any accepted script.
For more about the Commando Picture Library, click here for a list of dedicated web sites.
6) Writer Warren Ellis recommends sending script samples to companies. It's worth a try if you're an unknown. An editor needs to know you can write good dialogue as well as come up with sparkling ideas.
I'd also STRONGLY advise that as for artists, if you are approaching a particular company, you should submit a sample script featuring the characters that company features, rather than your own. As they want to see artists can really draw their characters, so they'll also want to see that writers can really write for their characters. Keep the script short, perhaps: write an eight page vignette rather than a 22 page complete story.
7) Always include your name, address and telephone number on each sample and each page that you send in. Include a stamped addressed envelope.
8) Be prepared to wait for a reply but in the case of writing, because there are generally fewer submissions, I would say a phone call won't hurt your chances. If you do phone leave it until about four weeks after sending your submission. Plus, be polite and be quick. Editors are always busy, even on the toilet. (They're also partially insane and never in the same mood from day to day. In this, they have a lot in common with traffic wardens, but that another story).
9) If you are sending in story ideas with new characters you've created and feel paranoid (not necessarily a bad thing), you might want to post a copy of the material to yourself. Then leave the envelope unopened in a box file somewhere. The date stamp on the envelope serves as the indicator of when you sent the company your work, so if your character appears in another form you at least have some evidence of your creations being ripped off.
Many American companies adopt the same principles as TV companies, requesting that you send a legal release form with any submission so they can avoid any potential legal wrangle if 'simultaneous creation' occurs. It does happen...
SUBMITTING ARTWORK
Although this guide is primarily aimed at writers rather than artists, be aware of these principles...
1) Have you submitted strip work to the title of your choice, as well as illustrations? In general, when you submit artwork to a company (British or American), they want to see at least three to four continuous pages - that is, a continuing story. They don't want to see splash pages or covers.
Your whole package should be roughly eight to twelve pages long, so they can look at it quickly and get a good idea of what you do. The most important thing an editor is looking for is your ability to tell a story. The next thing they're going to look for is your ability to draw a car, a telephone, a tree, a house, a couch, and so on. Basically, they're looking to see if you can draw. People are the last thing they'll look at; an editor assumes that if you want a job in comics, you can already draw people. But if you can draw anything else, put it in your samples ? let them see it.
2) Have you read the comic you're trying to get work on? Do you know what makes the character you're writing/drawing tick?
3) Have you submitted work to a company featuring that company's characters? No-one at Rebellion, publishers of 2000AD, wants to see how well you can draw Spider-Man, for example, and no-one at Marvel wants to see Judge Dredd. Tailor your submissions according to which company you're selling yourself to.
4) Have you submitted photocopies? Never send original work. It is almost never returned.
| MATTERS OF COPYRIGHT |
Whatever you write or draw is automatically copyright
is yours - automatically, legally, inalienably etc. - as the writer/author/artist
of the item in question. There is no such thing as paying for copyright
in your own work. |
5) When you send something to a comics company, include
a covering letter telling them who you are, where
you're from and thank the addressee for looking at your samples. Hopefully, they'll
have time to respond although the big companies receive hundreds of submissions
a day. Nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to include a stamped addressed envelope or
International Reply Coupons if sending material to the United States. Any response
is good, although most US companies now return material as a matter of course
to avoid potential claims against them for ripping off characters.
6) Always include your name, address and telephone
number on each sample and each page that you send
in. In a busy editorial office it's very easy for a covering letter to become
separated from the art? it happened to me on a couple of occasions and this is
frustrating, not just for the aspiring creator!
7) Presenting art at conventions: Artist
Dave Gibbons' advice is: "Leave the sketchbooks and most of the pin-ups at
home. Take a few (maybe six) finished pages showing continuity and a couple
of uninked
pages. Don't bother lettering them unless you can do it to professional standard.
Make sure its your latest, best work. And never, ever, apologise for it!"
SUBMITTING STRIPS TO SYNDICATION
COMPANIES
US newspapers run many syndicated three - four frame strips, from Doonesbury
and Garfield
to Beatle
Bailey and The
Wizard of Id. Despite the huge amount of material
out there, the syndication companie who own these strips are still looking for
new blood.
Submission guidelines vary, but check the sites of companies such as King
Features for useful guides. There's a standard size of strip to draw at: 15.5
x 4.75 inches, but the syndication agencies all say artists can work any size
they feel comfortable with, so long as it's in proportion to that size.
They like artists to submit 24 sample strips in the form of photocopies on
A4 paper, together with model sheets of the characters, a precis of the strip,
all the scripts in written form and the artist's resume. An SAE is also appreciated,
if artists want their stuff back.
SELF PUBLISHING
If you are
interested in self-publishing, check out the boook "How to Self Publish" from Engine
Comics. This is a great guide to going it alone!
THANK YOU!
This page owes a lot to the comics creators I have
worked with in the past and met at various events, but particularly: Paul Neary,
whose vision drove the Marvel UK 'universe' while I worked for him; Dave Gibbons;
Alan Moore; Alan Grant; Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Nick Miller; Andrew Ness;
Liam Sharp; and Bryan Talbot.
PRINTERS
• Printers
UK Directory
If you're thinking of publishing a fanzine, here's
a comprehensive list of UK litho printers who embrace the Internet and online
business. Printing firms are ranked below in order of user popularity. In
each case their service response and quality has been anonymously checked
by the
site's
directory team.